Events are unfolding fast as the cryptocurrency market is rocked again, this time by FTX. Facts and non-facts are hard to sort out under these conditions, especially since both seem to be depegged from believability at times. Where’s the money and who’s to blame are popular talking points. Some of the information appearing is indisputably false, or at least highly speculative. The situation has given rise to the opportunity to tell wild tales, such as this tweet that appeared (and disappeared) on Nov 10: A very fake tweet, which has since been deleted. Note the username. Rumors are not alwaysharmless, …

Brazilian 2TM Group, the operator of Latin America’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Mercado Bitcoin, is moving to expand its global footprint with a strategic acquisition in Portugal. The company officially announced Wednesday the acquisition of a controlling stake in CriptoLoja, a Lisbon-based crypto exchange licensed by the Portuguese central bank. Subject to approval by Banco de Portugal, the new deal intends to help 2TM start its expansion into Europe with over-the-counter exchange services. The company also plans to offer the services of Mercado Bitcoin to retail and institutional investors in Portugal. “We will access the European market using the clear synergies …

The blockchain gaming ecosystem has seen explosive growth over the course of 2021 as nonfungible tokens (NFT) and the play-to-earn gaming model helped create new income opportunities for people around the world while also ushering in a new cohort of users to the cryptocurrency sector. One project involved in gaming and the building of the Metaverse is The Sandbox (SAND), a blockchain-based virtual world where users to create, build, buy and sell digital assets in the form of a game. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that after hitting a low of $0.70 on Oct. 27, the price …

Digital Currency Group (DCG), one of the largest companies in the cryptocurrency industry, has completed a major secondary investment round led by Japanese financial giant SoftBank. DCG has sold $700 million worth of shares to companies like Google’s parent company, Alphabet, to bring its valuation to more than $10 billion, the company officially announced Monday. “Proud to welcome SoftBank, CapitalG, Ribbit, GIC, Tribe and Emory to an already fantastic list of DCG shareholders. And even more proud of over 1,000 employees of DCG and our wholly-owned subsidiaries that made this happen,” DCG CEO and founder Barry Silbert said. In a …

Cryptocurrency risk management firm Elliptic has announced a $60 million Series C funding round led by Evolution Equity Partners and supported by a panoply of venture capital firms including SoftBank Vision Fund 2, as well as existing investors AlbionVC, Digital Currency Group, Wells Fargo Strategic Capital and SBI Group, amongst others. Elliptic's history of funding charts a consistent increase, with their debut funding raise in 2016 totaling $5 million, while their second raise across late 2019 to early 2020 resulted in an additional $28 million. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in London, Elliptic captures analytical data from the blockchain sector …

Blockchain infrastructure developer Blockdaemon has secured its status as a crypto unicorn after concluding a $155 million Series B fundraiser, putting the company on track to expand its operational footprint in a significant way. With Series B now closed, Blockdaemon’s valuation has swelled to $1.255 billion, the company announced this week. To date, the company has raised just under $190 million, with the latest funding round led by the Softbank Vision Fund 2. Additional investors included Goldman Sachs, Kraken Ventures, Morgan Creek Digital, CoinFund, Matrix Capital Management and Sapphire Ventures. Konstantin Richter, Blockdaemon’s founder and CEO, said the capital injection …

Revolut, a major British banking app featuring cryptocurrency investment, has secured $800 million in a new funding round. The new investment round is led by Japanese financial giant SoftBank and United States hedge fund Tiger Global, which collectively hold around 5% in Revolut, CNBC reported Thursday. The round values Revolut at $33 billion, marking a sixfold increase from the company’s valuation of $5.5 billion in 2020. The newly secured funding will help Revolut continue international expansion as well as further improve marketing and product development, Revolut's chief financial officer, Mikko Salovaara, noted. The company is particularly focused on rolling out …

Reports have surfaced that French NFT-based soccer trading card game developer Sorare is closing in on a $532 million funding round with a valuation of at least $3.8 billion. According to unnamed sources in Business Insider, the latest funding round is expected to be led by Japanese telecommunications giant SoftBank, along with participation from European venture capital firm Atomico. Other backers thought to be in the mix include European investment firm Eurazeo, and Blisce, a fund founded by French entrepreneur Alexandre Mars. Sorare was founded in 2018 and the firm’s NFT-based soccer collectible card game now has 142 licensed teams …

Tesla’s tag game with Bitcoin (BTC) might have triggered a race in the corporate world to invest in crypto, however, SoftBank still prefers to take a more cautious approach. Answering questions at SoftBank’s earnings news conference, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son admitted that he doesn’t know whethe crypto is good or bad. “There’s a lot of discussion over if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, what’s the true value or is it in a bubble — honestly speaking, I don’t know,” Son said, according to Bloomberg. Son did not comment on the high-volume Bitcoin purchases made by major companies, …

Softbank Corp, the telecommunications arm of Japanese conglomerate Softbank Group, has confirmed its membership of the Japanese Security Token Association. The company now joins other firms such as Mitsui Trust and Qunie, the consulting subsidiary of NTT Data, as members of the crypto advocacy body. The JSTA also includes crypto and blockchain member firms such as security token platform TokenSoft and Japan’s largest cryptocurrency trading service BitFlyer. The association is part of a group of advocacy and self-regulatory bodies that exist within the Japanese cryptocurrency and blockchain space. In April 2020, Japan’s Financial Services Agency certified both the Japan Security …

While the ongoing cryptocurrency bull run is boosting crypto adoption, some billionaire investors still find Bitcoin (BTC) to be something of a distraction. Masayoshi Son, a billionaire technology entrepreneur and CEO of Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, claimed that he “doesn't understand” Bitcoin amid the cryptocurrency breaking its three-year highs. Speaking at the New York Times DealBook conference, Son said that he found Bitcoin investment to be “distracting his own focus on his own business,” Business Insider reported on Nov. 19. Son said that he would spend about five minutes each day watching Bitcoin prices fluctuate. Son noted that he was told …

Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma is stepping down from the board of Japanese tech giant and major blockchain backer SoftBank. After 13 years of close involvement with SoftBank, China’s richest man leaves the board amid SoftBank posting its worst operating losses in its history. According to a May 17 report by Japanese publication Nikkei, Ma’s departure announcement amid Softbank’s Vision Fund reporting record-breaking losses of 1.8 trillion yen ($16.7 billion). Softbank’s total annual losses accounted for 1.36 trillion yen ($12.7 billion) for the year ending March 31, the company reported. China’s richest man to leave Softbank’s board on June 25 Announcing …